Top 10 Things to Do in the Garden in January
With summer in full swing, gardens benefit from a little TLC here and there
Carol Bucknell
4 January 2019
Houzz New Zealand Contributor. Journalist who lives in Auckland and specialises in writing about gardens, houses and design. Author of two books on garden design: Contemporary gardens of New Zealand and Big Ideas for Small Gardens both published by Penguin. I also design gardens and am a passionate gardener. Currently I write the garden pages for New Zealand magazine Your Home & Garden and contribute to NZ Gardener and NZ House & Garden magazines.
Houzz New Zealand Contributor. Journalist who lives in Auckland and specialises... More
Hot weather drains both people and plants of energy. To keep your garden looking fresh and lovely this January, take time to water and feed your precious plants regularly. For an hour or so of attention every few days, they’ll reward you with more blooms and plenty of growth right through to autumn.
1. Add midsummer colour
Gardens can look a little jaded by midsummer but there are plenty of flowering annuals and perennials to liven things up while roses and other spring flowers fade. To keep your garden full of colour well into autumn, try filling pots and bare areas with Rudbeckia, Calendula, Californian poppies, coneflower (Echinacea), zinnia, Salvia, sunflowers and chrysanthemums.
Gardens can look a little jaded by midsummer but there are plenty of flowering annuals and perennials to liven things up while roses and other spring flowers fade. To keep your garden full of colour well into autumn, try filling pots and bare areas with Rudbeckia, Calendula, Californian poppies, coneflower (Echinacea), zinnia, Salvia, sunflowers and chrysanthemums.
2. Ensure ponds are pristine
Keep an eye on ponds and water features as summer progresses. They tend to accumulate algae if the weather is very hot. As well as looking an unsightly green, slimy algae will quickly turn the water toxic.
Skim it out or remove it by twirling a stick into the centre of the algae and lifting it out. You can then use its valuable nutrients in the compost. To reduce algae, grow aquatic plants such as water lilies that will spread out and shade the water’s surface during summer.
Keep an eye on ponds and water features as summer progresses. They tend to accumulate algae if the weather is very hot. As well as looking an unsightly green, slimy algae will quickly turn the water toxic.
Skim it out or remove it by twirling a stick into the centre of the algae and lifting it out. You can then use its valuable nutrients in the compost. To reduce algae, grow aquatic plants such as water lilies that will spread out and shade the water’s surface during summer.
3. Feed water lilies and other aquatic plants
Water lilies and other aquatic plants, such as pond pickerel and water irises, won’t flower well without regular feeding. Add a couple of fertiliser tablets now and every couple of months during the warmer weather.
Prefer to place your garden in the green-thumbed hands of a professional? Find a gardener or landscape contractor near you
Water lilies and other aquatic plants, such as pond pickerel and water irises, won’t flower well without regular feeding. Add a couple of fertiliser tablets now and every couple of months during the warmer weather.
Prefer to place your garden in the green-thumbed hands of a professional? Find a gardener or landscape contractor near you
4. Prune lavender
Summer is the best time to give lavender a good haircut, ideally when its main flowering period is over. If you don’t trim lavender regularly it produces fewer flowers. Prune back by a third, but don’t cut too hard – make sure you’ve left some growth as lavender won’t produce new leaves from old wood.
Summer is the best time to give lavender a good haircut, ideally when its main flowering period is over. If you don’t trim lavender regularly it produces fewer flowers. Prune back by a third, but don’t cut too hard – make sure you’ve left some growth as lavender won’t produce new leaves from old wood.
5. Give houseplants a refreshing shower
Move houseplants outside on a warm day and spray them gently with the hose to get the dust off their leaves and revitalise plants. Or do it inside in the shower.
Remember to mist houseplants regularly when the weather is warm or if they are in a heated room. Even air conditioning can dry out their foliage. As many houseplants are from tropical regions, they need good humidity levels to do well.
7 Things Your Indoor Plants are Trying to Tell You
Move houseplants outside on a warm day and spray them gently with the hose to get the dust off their leaves and revitalise plants. Or do it inside in the shower.
Remember to mist houseplants regularly when the weather is warm or if they are in a heated room. Even air conditioning can dry out their foliage. As many houseplants are from tropical regions, they need good humidity levels to do well.
7 Things Your Indoor Plants are Trying to Tell You
6. Control bougainvillea
Prune back bougainvillea to keep it from taking over the garden, which it can do very quickly if you’re not careful. Cut back to within 10 centimetres of older wood after flowering as next year’s blooms will be produced on new wood. Avoid giving your bougainvillea too much fertiliser as this encourages more thorns and less flowers.
Prune back bougainvillea to keep it from taking over the garden, which it can do very quickly if you’re not careful. Cut back to within 10 centimetres of older wood after flowering as next year’s blooms will be produced on new wood. Avoid giving your bougainvillea too much fertiliser as this encourages more thorns and less flowers.
7. Deadhead roses
Roses will often give you a second burst of flowers if you deadhead (cut off spent blooms) regularly and keep them well-watered during the hot months. Hedge clippers work well for deadheading flower-carpet rose varieties.
Browse more formal gardens
Roses will often give you a second burst of flowers if you deadhead (cut off spent blooms) regularly and keep them well-watered during the hot months. Hedge clippers work well for deadheading flower-carpet rose varieties.
Browse more formal gardens
8. Feed gardenia
Gardenias also like a bit of TLC at this time of year. For more of their deliciously scented blooms, spray leaves regularly with water and feed with liquid fertiliser. Yellow leaves can be a problem with gardenias and one of the best remedies is to sprinkle iron chelates around the drip line of plants and water in well. Gardenias prefer moisture-retentive, acidic soil (pH 5 to 6.5). Add plenty of organic matter such as compost and sheep pellets, especially if your soil is neutral or alkaline.
Gardenias also like a bit of TLC at this time of year. For more of their deliciously scented blooms, spray leaves regularly with water and feed with liquid fertiliser. Yellow leaves can be a problem with gardenias and one of the best remedies is to sprinkle iron chelates around the drip line of plants and water in well. Gardenias prefer moisture-retentive, acidic soil (pH 5 to 6.5). Add plenty of organic matter such as compost and sheep pellets, especially if your soil is neutral or alkaline.
9. Take cuttings for new plants
January is a good time to take cuttings from shrubs such as abutilon, hebe, corokia, box, hydrangea, rosemary, teucrium and lavender. Most will benefit from a light trim in summer anyway, as this stimulates their growth. Rather than chucking the trimmings, turn them into new plants by popping them into pots with a mix of sand, potting mix and pumice. Keep them watered and your plants will be ready to move into the garden once they have developed a few sets of leaves.
Plants for Free: How You Can Propagate Your Own
January is a good time to take cuttings from shrubs such as abutilon, hebe, corokia, box, hydrangea, rosemary, teucrium and lavender. Most will benefit from a light trim in summer anyway, as this stimulates their growth. Rather than chucking the trimmings, turn them into new plants by popping them into pots with a mix of sand, potting mix and pumice. Keep them watered and your plants will be ready to move into the garden once they have developed a few sets of leaves.
Plants for Free: How You Can Propagate Your Own
10. Plant flowering climbers
Want a quick and easy way to create privacy and an established look in your garden for summer? Try training fast-growing climbing plants such as sandpaper vine (Petrea volubilis), Passion flowers, Pandorea species, Akebia or potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) up trellises, walls and pergolas. Make sure the support is strong enough for the type of plant, particularly if you select a vigorous climber such as Bougainvillea, Chinese trumpet vine (Campsis grandiflora), Tecomanthe, Stephanotis or Wisteria.
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What other garden-related jobs do you do in January? Tell us below in the Comments, share your tips, save this story and join the conversation.
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Want a quick and easy way to create privacy and an established look in your garden for summer? Try training fast-growing climbing plants such as sandpaper vine (Petrea volubilis), Passion flowers, Pandorea species, Akebia or potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) up trellises, walls and pergolas. Make sure the support is strong enough for the type of plant, particularly if you select a vigorous climber such as Bougainvillea, Chinese trumpet vine (Campsis grandiflora), Tecomanthe, Stephanotis or Wisteria.
Tell us
What other garden-related jobs do you do in January? Tell us below in the Comments, share your tips, save this story and join the conversation.
More
More
Missed Picture Perfect? Catch up on inspirational images of homes from around the world here with 23 Mediterranean-Inspired Facades
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Really like the effect of a contained bougainvillea,the beautifully maintained lavender,the lush plantings.Obviously time and fertilizers are put to good use.
Can anyone tell me the name of the luscious fern in picture 8 please? Such a nice combination with the gardenia.
Boston fern, sword fern or fishbone fern.
Fiona Copeley, no it is not a boston fern. Boston fern does not have leafletss growing from the main stem they have simple straight fronds. This looks more like leather leaf fern (Rumohra adiantiformis) a favourite with florists.